Worked examples
Two examples
Example 1
A queen inherits the throne. An elected parliament makes the laws, and the queen’s role is mostly ceremonial: she opens parliament each year and greets visiting leaders.Which kind of government is this?
- Ask the two questions from Chapter 1: who holds power, and how did they get it?
- The queen got her place by birth. A ruler who inherits the throne is a monarch, so this is some kind of monarchy.
- Now ask whether anything limits her. It does: an elected parliament makes the laws, and her role is mostly ceremonial. A monarchy whose ruler is limited, with elected officials running the government, is a constitutional monarchy.
- It is not an absolute monarchy, because an absolute monarch’s power has no legal limits.
Answer: A constitutional monarchy
Example 2
A general and the officers under him use the army to take over the government. They cancel the coming election and arrest people who speak against them.Which kind of government is this?
- Who holds power? A general and his officers.
- How did they get it? By force, with the army, and without the consent of the people. That is a dictatorship.
- It is not an oligarchy. An oligarchy is rule by a few powerful families, usually the richest; this group took power with soldiers.
- It is not called totalitarian, at least not yet: nothing here says they try to control every part of life, such as work, school, religion and the news.
Answer: A dictatorship
Where this is taught: Civics, Chapter 1: Kinds of government · Civics Diagnostic, Part 1
In your Kaplan book: Unit 3, Chapter 3, Lesson 1: Historic Basis for U.S. System · Map of the Terrain, topic 11: What government is for, and the kinds there are
The drill
Ten questions
How many:
Tap your answer to each one, then press Check my answers at the bottom. Some questions come with a short reading or a table in a box; read it first.Circle your answer to each one. Some questions come with a short reading or a table in a box; read it first. The answer key, with the reasoning, is on the last page.